Extended Hours: Greenfield Village will be open late for Sharing the Spirit of America this Wednesday, July 8th until 7:00 p.m.

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Extended Hours: Greenfield Village will be open late for Sharing the Spirit of America this Wednesday, July 8th until 7:00 p.m.

Learn More

A Selection of Hallmark Ornaments: Halloween

Written by
Andy Stupperich
Andy Stupperich is an associate curator at The Henry Ford.
Hallmark "Trick or Treat!" Halloween Ornament, 2004
Hallmark revolutionized Christmas decorating with its annual release of holiday ornaments. But many people may not realize that Hallmark produces ornaments for more holidays than just Christmas. Since the early 2000s, Halloween ornaments on a wide range of subjects have been popular. No matter which holiday Hallmark ornaments commemorate, they appeal to customers' tastes and interests and often follow popular consumer trends.
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Hallmark "Midnight Serenade" Halloween Ornament, 2003

In 2003, Hallmark created a black-silhouetted house-shaped display called 1300 Old Oak Road. Halloween revelers used the dark — yet festive — decoration to exhibit ornaments of skeletons, pumpkins, witches, and ghosts created for the display. These cats sat on a rickety-looking fence while other ornaments hung from cutout windows and doors.

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Hallmark "Mesmerelda" Halloween Ornament, 2003

Decorators found perfect spots for each Halloween ornament on the 1300 Old Oak Road display. Mesmerelda — a character created by Hallmark artist Patricia Andrews — could dangle in front of the moon.

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Hallmark "Trick or Treat!" Halloween Ornament, 2004

In 2004, Hallmark produced Halloween ornaments for its "The Mansion on Ravenswood Lane" display piece. The series consisted of character ornaments that inhabited different rooms of the mansion. Each box contained a short description of the character written by Scott Emmons. Young trick-or-treaters Millie and Sam wandered the streets and visited the mansion in search of Halloween goodies.
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Hallmark "Old Ned, the Musician" Halloween Ornament, 2004

The mansion had a "shadowy, dingy, and dim" parlor, and if you listened close, you could hear "spine-tingling tones" played by Old Ned, who "was nothing but bones!"
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Hallmark "Hauntington Collection: Ms. Bonnie and Bones" Halloween Ornaments, 2005

Hallmark created a series of Halloween ornaments for its Hauntington Collection in 2005. Building displays depicting the town of Hauntington became backdrops for ornaments like this one of Ms. Bonnie and her dog Bones. The collection celebrated the fun — and creepy — spirit of Halloween.

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Hallmark "Hauntington Collection: Officer Rob Graver" Halloween Ornament, 2005

According to the description on the box, Officer Rob Graver was "Hauntington's keeper of law and horror."
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Hallmark "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown: Linus and the Great Pumpkin Patch" Halloween Ornament and Display Stand, 2006

The critically acclaimed TV special from 1966, It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown, was based upon the comic strip, Peanuts, created by Charles Schulz. In 2006, Hallmark created a series of ornaments depicting scenes and characters from this Halloween holiday classic. Collectors could place all the ornaments on this display — or hang them separately on a Halloween tree.
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Hallmark "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown: Charlie Brown" Halloween Ornament, 2006

Charlie Brown was ready for Halloween. He had trouble with his costume, though. And as for trick-or-treating, all he will get are rocks.
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Hallmark "Disney's Mickey, Minnie, Goofy and Donald: Famous Faces of Halloween" Halloween Ornaments, 2007

Hallmark created this set of Halloween ornaments in 2007 depicting Mickey Mouse and his friends dressed up as classic Disney movie characters and ready to trick-or-treat. Minnie is Cinderella, Mickey is Peter Pan, Goofy is Pinocchio, and Donald Duck is dressed as Grumpy — one of Snow White's Seven Dwarfs.
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Hallmark "Looney Tunes: Trick-or-Treating in Oz" Halloween Ornaments, 2007

Hallmark dressed up Looney Tunes characters for Halloween trick-or-treating in 2007 as well. The ornaments show the characters ready to dash from house to house as characters from the film The Wizard of Oz. Bugs Bunny is Dorothy, Taz is the Cowardly Lion, Tweety is the Tin Man, and Sylvester is the Scarecrow.
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